Agricultural baler control system

ABSTRACT

An agricultural material baling system comprises, in one example, a bale forming component configured to form a bale of agricultural material from a terrain, and a control system configured to determine that the bale is to be released from the baling system onto the terrain, determine that a current location of the baling system has a slope above a threshold, determine a different location, that is spaced apart from the current location, for releasing the bale onto the terrain, and provide an output indicative of the different location. In one example, the control system is configured to receive yield data indicative of a volume of agricultural material in a path of the baler and to control the baling system based on the yield data. In one example, the yield data is obtained from a raking operation that rakes the agricultural material into a windrow.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/247,983, filed Oct. 29, 2015,the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE DESCRIPTION

The present description relates to preparing and baling agriculturalmaterial. More specifically, but not by limitation, the presentdescription relates to a system for controlling an agricultural baler.

BACKGROUND

There are a wide variety of different types of baled agriculturalmaterial. For instance, such material can include cotton, hay, and plantbiomass material, among a wide variety of others. Some examples of baledplant biomass material include corn stalks, sugarcane residue,switchgrass, etc.

Agricultural balers can be configured to form bales with a variety ofdifferent form factors (different sizes and shapes). For example, somebalers create square or rectangular bales and other balers createcylindrical bales.

Typically, a baler has pickup and conveying mechanisms for collectingthe agricultural material from the ground and conveying it into a baleforming chamber, such as a compression chamber. Then, once formed, thebale is released onto the ground for subsequent pickup by anothermachine. During these operations, the baler may become plugged.Rectifying a plugged baler is time consuming and can be labor-intensive(i.e., the operator is required to stop the baling operation to removethe plugged material which reduces the overall baling rate(hectares/hour)).

Also, depending on the terrain, placement of a released bale can betroublesome. For instance, in the case of cylindrical bales, depositingthe bale on a slope can result in the bale rolling down the slope. Notonly can retrieval of such a bale be time consuming in requiring thepickup machine to travel further to retrieve the bale, but the rollingbale can result in significant damage to structures or equipment, and/orsevere injury to humans or livestock.

The discussion above is merely provided for general backgroundinformation and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining thescope of the claimed subject matter.

SUMMARY

An agricultural material baling system comprises, in one example, a baleforming component configured to form a bale of agricultural materialfrom a terrain, and a control system configured to determine that thebale is to be released from the baling system onto the terrain,determine that a current location of the baling system has a slope abovea threshold, determine a different location, that is spaced apart fromthe current location, for releasing the bale onto the terrain, andprovide an output indicative of the different location.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementationsthat solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one example of an agricultural materialprocessing operation.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of one example of a method for preparing andbaling agricultural material.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one example of an environment inwhich an agricultural material preparation machine and bale formingmachine operate.

FIG. 4 illustrates one example of an agricultural material rakingmachine.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a bale forming machine.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of one example of a method for operating anagricultural material preparation machine.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are a flow diagram of one example of a method foroperating a bale forming machine.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing one example of the environmentillustrated in FIG. 3, in which components are deployed in a remoteserver architecture.

FIGS. 9-12 show examples of mobile devices that can be used inenvironments shown in previous figures.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of one example of a computing environmentthat can be deployed in any of the machines, systems, and/orarchitectures shown in previous figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one example of an agricultural materialprocessing operation 100 that forms bales 102 from agricultural material104 in a field 106. The agricultural material can be any of a variety oftypes including, but not limited to, cotton, hay, and plant biomassmaterial, among a wide variety of others.

As illustrated, a preparation operation is performed by an agriculturalmaterial preparation machine 108 that prepares the material 104 forbaling by a bale forming machine 110. Examples of preparation operationsinclude mowing, cutting, and/or raking the material into a form that isacceptable by bale forming machine 110. In the present example, but notby limitation, machine 108 comprises a raking machine that rakes cut ormowed material into windrows 112.

In one example, each of machines 108 and 110 comprises a single,self-propelled implement or vehicle. For instance, a self-propelledbaling forming machine includes both bale forming functionality and adrive motor or other drive mechanism for traversing the machine acrossthe field. Similarly, a self-propelled mower includes both mowingfunctionality and a drive mechanism, and a self-propelled rake includesboth raking functionality and a drive mechanism.

In one example, each of machines 108 and 110 can include a towedimplemented that is towed by a towing vehicle. For instance, machine 108can comprises a raking machine pulled by an agricultural tractor andmachine 110 can comprises a baling machine pulled by a same or differentagricultural tractor.

Depending on the type of material, the windrows 112 may be left to dryfor a period of time (e.g., several days) before being collected andformed into bales 102 by machine 110. In another example in whichwindrows 112 does not require drying (e.g., sugarcane residue and thelike), machine 110 can closely follow machine 108 to bale the material.In other words, the preparation operation and the baling operation canbe performed in a same pass through field 106 or in separate passes thatoccur at or around the same time. In a single pass example, a sametowing machine, such as an agricultural tractor, can pull both a rakeand a baler. In another example, different towing machines (or a sametowing machine in different passes) separately tows the rake and thebaler through field 106. As used herein, a “pass” refers to a singleinstance of a driving or towing machine traversing a path through field106. As such, multiple, separate passes are made even if the preparationmachine 108 and bale forming machine 110 are independently driventhrough field 106, but are simultaneously operating within a samewindrow 112.

In the illustrated example, machine 108 comprises a towing implement 109(e.g., an agricultural tractor) and a towed implement 111. Implement 111comprises an agricultural rake which can includes any device that uses arake or rake-like mechanism to form agricultural material into a windrowor swath. Examples include, but are not limited to, rotary rakes, fingerwheel rakes, parallel bar rakes, rake/tedder combination devices, andwindrow mergers. One example of a windrow merger comprises a beltmerger.

In the illustrated example, machine 110 includes a towing implement 113(e.g., an agricultural tractor) and a towed implement 115 comprising abaler. In one example, implement 115 can further include a baleaccumulator (not shown in FIG. 1) that holds one or more bales afterthey are formed by and ejected from the baler. A bale accumulator allowsthe machine to collect and transport one or more bales to a desiredlocation in field 106 before depositing them on the ground.

In accordance with one example, FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of one exampleof a method 120 for preparing and baling agricultural material. For sakeof illustration, but not by limitation, method 120 will be described inthe context of operation 100 shown in FIG. 1.

At block 122, the agricultural material 104 is prepared in field 106during a first pass. For example, this can comprise a cutting or mowingoperation (represented by block 124) and/or a raking operation(represented by block 126). In one example, the preparation comprisesharvesting with biomass/residue separation.

At block 128, data indicative of the operations in the first pass isobtained. For example, this can include obtaining agricultural materialdata (represented by block 130), machine orientation data (representedby block 132) and/or obtaining machine position data (represented byblock 134). In one example, agricultural material data comprises ameasured or estimated yield. As discussed in further detail below, thiscan include information indicative of a volume of windrows 112.

One example of machine orientation data at block 132 includes pitch,roll, and/or yaw data obtained from corresponding sensor(s) on machine108. This information is indicative of a slope of the terrain withinfield 106. The machine position data at block 134 is used to identifythe position of machine 108 within field 106. For example, the machineposition data at block 134 can be obtained using a global positionsystem (GPS) sensor, a dead reckoning sensor, or a wide variety of othersensors. This, of course, is by way of example only.

At block 136, position-referenced yield data and/or position-referencedterrain slope data is generated using the data obtained at block 128. Inthis example, the agricultural material data at block 130 and themachine orientation data at block 132 are obtained at a plurality ofdiscrete times (i.e., periodically or after a pre-defined number of feettraversed within field 106). The plurality of discrete data points arecorrelated to the corresponding position data at block 134. As such, theinformation at block 136 can be used to generate a terrain slope mapthat identifies a slope of the terrain in field 106 and/or a yield mapthat shows the expected volume of windrows 112 at a plurality of pointsalong the windrows.

Position-referencing data can be done in any suitable way. In theillustrated example, data is position-referenced by attaching, tagging,or otherwise associating position information with the data. In oneparticular example, the data is geo-tagged by assigning a tag or otherpiece of information to the data. This, of course, is by way of exampleonly. Other ways of geo-locating or referencing the data can beperformed.

At block 138, a baling operation is performed. In the present example,this includes traversing the baler across the field during a secondpass. Of course, the baling operation at block 138 can be performedduring the first pass as well. In either case, the baler is traversedacross the field in a similar path as the preparation machine at block122. This represented at block 140. That is, bale forming machine 110follows windrows 112 formed by machine 108.

At block 142, the baler is controlled based on the yield data todiscourage plugging. One example of this is discussed in further detailbelow. Briefly, however, at block 142 the baler is controlled tomaintain the feed rate or throughput rate in the baler below a thresholdto discourage the material from plugging the baler. This can includeadjusting the speed of the baler and/or the baler pickup height.

At block 144, the bales are deposited in field 106 by controlling thebaler based on terrain slope data. The terrain slope data can comprisethe position-referenced terrain slope data generated at block 136, aswell as data obtained from other sources. For instance, terrain slopedata can be obtained by topographical mapping tools such as an systemLIDAR (i.e., a remote sensing technology that measures distance byilluminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light)and a geographic information system (GIS), to name a few. One example ofthis is discussed in further detail below. Briefly, however, block 144operates to discourage or prevent bales from being placed on terrainhaving a slope that is likely to result in cylindrical bales rollingdown the slope and/or difficulty in subsequent pickup of the bales(i.e., even in the case of square or rectangular bales it may bedifficult for bale pickup equipment to traverse terrain with a largeinclination angle).

In one example, block 144 automatically controls bale forming machine110 to move the bale ejection mechanism of machine 110 to a position andorientation based on the terrain slope data and a slope threshold. Theslope threshold can be pre-defined, user-defined, and/oruser-adjustable. For instance, the threshold can be based on anacceptable inclination angle (e.g., 20 degrees, 25 degrees, 30 degrees,etc.) below which the bales can be placed on the terrain in anyorientation. In another example, the threshold can be based on acombination of the inclination angle of the slope and a differencebetween the axis of the cylindrical bale when it is deposited on theground and the direction of the slope. For example, but not bylimitation, for slope inclination angles between 25-30 degrees thecontrol requires that the axis of the bale be within 15 degrees of adirection of the slope, and for slope inclination angles between 20-25degrees the control requires that the axis of the bale be within 20degrees of the slope. This, of course, is by way of example only.

In another example of block 144, the bale forming machine can becontrolled to provide feedback or instructions to the operator based onthe terrain slope data. One example of this is discussed in furtherdetail below. Briefly, however, instructions can be provided to theoperator as to how machine 110 can be maneuvered to deposit the bale atan acceptable location and orientation in field 106. At block 146, thebales are collected from field 106 and transported to a storagelocation.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating one example of an environment 200in which agricultural material preparation machine 108 and bale formingmachine 110 operate. FIG. 3 illustrates example components, modules,and/or functionality of machines 108 and 110. For the sake ofillustration, but not by limitation, environment 200 will be describedin the context of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, one or more of machines 108 and 110 include a drivemechanism for moving the respective machines across field 106. That is,as mentioned above, it is noted that machines 108 and 110 can compriseor utilize a same towing implement, or different towing implements, forconveying the machines across field 106. Thus, while FIG. 3 illustratesmachines 108 and 110 as having separate drive mechanisms 202 and 204, asame drive mechanism can be used for both machines 108 and 110.

As shown in FIG. 3, drive mechanism 204 can include a steering andpropulsion system 206 for controlling a speed of the machine(s) and adirection of travel. In one example, steering and propulsion system 206is controlled by an operator using steering controls and throttle orother speed controls.

Each of machines 108 and 110 can include a data store. As shown in FIG.3, machine 108 includes a data store 208 and machine 110 includes a datastore 210. Machines 108 and 110 can communicate with one another througha network 212. Machines 108 and 110 can also communicate with a remotedata store 214 as well.

Before describing operation of machines 108 and 110 in more detail, oneor more examples of each of the items in environment 200 will first bedescribed with respect to FIG. 3. Machine 108 includes agriculturalmaterial preparation functionality 216, and one or more agricultural orother sensors 218. Machine 108 can also include one or more processors220, a communication system 222, a user interface component 224, one ormore user interface devices 226, a location system 228, and a mapgenerator 230. Machine 108 can include other items 232 as well.

Preparation functionality 216 includes all of the functionality (such asmechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, etc.) that is used bymachine 108 to prepare the agricultural material for bale formingmachine 110.

Sensors 218 can include a wide variety of different types of sensors.For instance, the sensors can include material sensors 234 configured tosense and provide information indicative of the agricultural materialbeing prepared by machine 108. Material sensors 234 illustrativelyinclude a yield sensor, such as a windrow sensor, that senses anexpected yield for the agricultural material. In one example, a windrowsensor obtains data indicative of a volume of the windrow being formedby machine 108. Sensors 218 can also include machine position sensors236 configured to sense a position of machine 108. For example, machineposition sensors 236 can sense a tilt, yaw, and/or role of machine 108.Other examples of sensors 218 include, but are not limited, weathersensors, quality sensors, fuel consumption sensors, etc.

Processor(s) 220 is, in one example, a computer processor withassociated memory and timing circuitry (not separately shown). It isillustratively a functional part of machine 108 and is activated byvarious other items in machine 108 to facilitate their operation.

Communication system 222 illustratively allows machine 108 tocommunicate with other items in environment 200. For instance,communication system 222 can be a cellular communication system, acommunication system that allows machine 108 to access a wide areanetwork (such as the Internet), a local area network communicationsystem, a near field communication system, and/or a wide variety ofother wired and wireless communication systems. In one example,communication system 222 is used by machine 108 to communication data tomachine 110, other machines, and/or to store data in data store 214.

User interface component 224 illustratively (either by itself or undercontrol of other items in machine 108) generate user interfaces on orthrough user interface device(s) 226 for an operator of machine 108.User interface device 226 can be a display device that generates userinterface displays, an audible device that generates audible userinterfaces, a haptic device that generates haptic user interfaces, or awide variety of other types of user interface devices.

Location system 228 illustratively senses a location of machine 108. Byway of example, location system 228 can be a GPS system, a cellulartriangulation system, a dead reckoning system, or a wide variety ofother systems that allow machine 108 to identify a location wheremachine 108 is during the agricultural material preparation operation.

Data store 208 can be used to store any of the data sensed, generated,or otherwise obtained by machine 108. In one example, data store 208 canstore maps generated by map generator 230. The maps can include, but arenot limited to, yield or windrow maps, terrain slope maps, topographicalmaps, or any other type of map.

One example of operation of machine 108 is described in greater detailbelow with respect to FIG. 6. Briefly, however, machine 108 prepares theagricultural material for bale forming machine 110 and obtains data thatis position-referenced and can be used by bale forming machine 110during the bale forming operation. For example, machine 108 can generateposition-referenced yield data 238, position-referenced slope data 240and/or a topographical map(s) 242. This data can be made available tovarious machines and systems in environment 200 in a variety ofdifferent ways. For instance, yield data 238, slope data 240, and/ormap(s) 242 can be stored in data store 208 and/or data store 210.Alternatively, or in addition, they can be stored in data store 214,which is remote from and accessible by machines 108 and 110, as shown inFIG. 3.

The machines and systems can access the remote data store 214 using anyof a wide variety of different networks, represented in FIG. 3. Network212, for instance, can be one or more of a cellular network, a wide areanetwork such as the Internet, a local area network, or other networks.In addition, the machines and systems can access the data by having thedata transmitted directly from one machine or system to another, andhaving them stored locally on the data stores of each machine or system.Further, the data can be transmitted using store and forward techniqueswhere a machine that has no access to the cellular or other network orthe internet stores the data records locally. Then, when it comes intorange of a given communication network, it transmits the data to othermachines or systems within the service area of that network. In anotherexample, the data can be transmitted to remote data store 214 where itis later accessed by the other machines and systems. Further, the datacan be made available to the various machines and systems by storingthem first on machine 108 and then manually transmitting them. As anexample, the data can be can be first stored on machine 108 and thenmanually transmitted to machine 110 using a removable storage device,such as a flash drive, a removable disk, or a variety of other removablestorage mechanisms. The data can then be manually transmitted to machine110 where it is locally stored in data store 210. All of these and othertypes of mechanisms and architectures for machine the data available tothe various machines and systems in environment 200 are contemplatedherein.

Bale forming machine 110 includes bale forming functionality 244, baleejection functionality 246 and one or more agricultural or other sensors248. Machine 110 can also include a bale accumulator 250, one or moreprocessors 252, a communication system 254, a user interface component256, one or more user interface devices 258, and a location system 260.Machine 110 can include other items 262 as well. Bale forming machine110 operates using a set of baler settings 282, which can be stored indata store 210. Alternatively, or in addition, settings 282 can bestored in data store 214, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Bale forming functionality 244 illustratively includes all of thefunctionality (such as mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical,etc.) that is used by machine 110 in order to form a bale ofagricultural material. For example, bale forming functionality 244 isconfigured to pick up agriculture material in a windrow and convey thatmaterial to a compression chamber or other type of bale formingfunctionality. Once the bale is complete, bale ejection functionality246 is configured to deposit the bale onto field 106 or into baleaccumulator 250, if present.

Sensors 248 can include a wide variety of different types of sensors. Inthe illustrated example, sensors 248 includes material sensors 264 andmachine position sensors 266. In one example, sensors 264 and 266 aresimilar to sensors 234 and 236, discussed above.

Processor(s) 252 is, in one example, a computer processor withassociated memory and timing circuitry (not separately shown). It isillustratively a functional part of machine 110 and is activated byvarious other items in machine 110 to facilitate their operation.

Communication system 254 illustratively allows machine 110 tocommunicate with other items in environment 200. For instance,communication system 254 can be a cellular communication system, acommunication system that allows machine 108 to access a wide areanetwork (such as the Internet), a local area network communicationsystem, a near field communication system, and/or a wide variety ofother wired and wireless communication systems. In one example,communication system 254 is used by machine 110 to communication data tomachine 108, other machines, and/or to store data in data store 214.

User interface component 256 illustratively (either by itself or undercontrol of other items in machine 110) generate user interfaces on orthrough user interface device(s) 258 for an operator of machine 110.User interface device 258 can be a display device that generates userinterface displays, an audible device that generates audible userinterfaces, a haptic device that generates haptic user interfaces, or awide variety of other types of user interface devices.

Location system 260 illustratively senses a location of machine 110. Byway of example, location system 260 can be a GPS system, a cellulartriangulation system, a dead reckoning system, or a wide variety ofother systems that allow machine 110 to identify a location wheremachine 110 is during the agricultural material preparation operation.

As shown in FIG. 3, machine 110 also includes a control system 268 forcontrolling operation of machine 110. Control system 268 includes amaximum (or target) feed rate determination component 270, a targetbaler speed calculation component 272, a target baler pick up heightcalculation component 274, a bale position calculation component 276, amachine navigation path calculation component 278, and a machine controlcomponent 280. Operation of control system 268 and other items ofmachine 110 is described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 7.Briefly, however, in one example control system 268 determines a maximumor target feed rate for material into machine 110 and, using yield dataor other information indicative of a volume of the material in a path ofmachine 110, calculates the baler speed and/or pick up height to controlthe actual feed rate within the target feed rate. Then, once a bale isformed and ready to be released onto the terrain, control system 268calculates a position for releasing the bale based on slope data, suchas a terrain slope map or topographical map. Control system 268 can alsocalculate a navigation path for navigating machine 110 to the calculatedbale release position.

FIG. 4 illustrates one example of an agricultural material rakingmachine 300 that includes one or more sensors for detecting windrowyield or volume. Before discussing raking machine 300 in greater detail,a brief overview of windrow sensing will be discussed.

One type of windrow sensing system attempts to predict yield using aLIDAR sensor, or other sensor, when the material is cut or mowed. Thatis, this sensing arrangement senses material that is spread out acrossthe ground in a wide, relatively thin swath layer. The sensor musttherefore have a large angular range and fine angular resolution, thatresults in a large set of discrete measurements or data points along thewidth of the mower. This large quantity of data points is then processedto estimate a cross-sectional area between consecutive data points, forexample by inputting the data into a complex formula. Of course, thisprocess is complex and requires significant processing and storagebandwidth. Additionally, it may still require assumptions and beerror-prone.

In accordance with one example, a sensing configuration is employed thatutilizes the structure of and raking operation performed by rakingmachine 300 to obtain an indication of the windrow volume. Machine 300includes a towing implement 302 and a raking implement 304 that is towedbehind towing implement 302. Raking implement 304 is illustratively awheel rake having a set of rake wheels 306. Rake wheels 306 arepositioned to form a raking channel or gap 308. Raking channel 308 has aknown width, as it is defined by a spacing width 310 between wheels 306.Within this raking channel 308, the windrow (e.g., windrow 112 inFIG. 1) is formed by restricting the material width through the rakingchannel 308. That is, the material is mechanically forced into thenarrow width of raking channel 308. After implement 304 passes, thematerial falls, to some extent, into the actual windrow profile thatwill be fed into the baling machine. In other words, the final width ofthe windrow that is collected during the baling operation is larger thanthe width of the material within channel 308.

In the example of FIG. 4, raking implement 304 includes a windrow sensor312 configured to obtain data indicative of a volume of the windrowbeing formed by machine 300. In the illustrated example, sensor 312 ispositioned above raking channel 308 and configured to sense a height ofthe agricultural material within raking channel 308. Since the width ofraking channel 308 is known (i.e., it is fixed during the rakingoperation), a relatively accurate indication of the windrow volume canbe obtained with only a few data points. For instance, in the example ofFIG. 4 sensor 312 obtains a single data point value indicative of aheight of the windrow in a middle of channel 308. In combination withthe known width of raking channel 308, this single data point is used toobtain the indication of the windrow volume. Of course, in otherexamples, more than one data point can be obtained by sensor 312, or byusing one or more additional sensors on machine 300.

In one example, sensor 312 can comprise an electrical sensor using anultrasonic or light sensor, or other type of sensor, to measure theheight of windrow between the rake wheels 306. In another example, awindrow sensor can comprise a mechanical sensor that mechanicallyengages the top of the windrow to provide an indication of the windrowheight. For instance, the mechanical sensor can comprise an arm that ispivotably attached to raking implement 304 and supports a wheel, paddle,or other feature that engages and follows a top of the windrow. Bysensing a location of the device, an indication of the height, and thusthe volume, of the windrow can be obtained.

In one example, sensor 312 outputs a value indicative of units in aparticular measurement standard (e.g., inches, centimeters, etc.). Inanother example, the signal can be normalized to provide a relativeheight determination (e.g., on a scale of 0-10, with 0 representing alowest windrow height and 10 representing a highest windrow height).

Machine 300 also includes a location system (not shown in FIG. 4) thatcan be mounted on one or more of the towing implement 302 or the rakingimplement 304.

Advantageously, compared to other sensing configuration such as theexample LIDAR system discussed above, the sensing system of FIG. 4 has areduce processing load and storage requirements. Further, in somescenarios, a more accurate windrow indication can be obtained withoutrequiring an expensive, complex sensor and data processing system.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a bale forming machine 320. Machine320 illustratively includes a towing implement 322 and a towed implementin the form of a baler 324. Machine 320 can also include a baleaccumulator 326.

Machine 320 includes a frame 328 on a chassis 330, that is supported onthe ground by wheels 332. Wheels 332 follow a slope of the ground thatextends transverse to the direction of operation. Baler 324 includesbale ejection functionality that is configured to release a bale withina bale forming chamber 334 onto accumulator 326 (or onto the ground ifaccumulator 326 is not utilized). In one example, the bale ejectionfunctionality is configured to operate a gate into a raised position torelease the bale from chamber 334.

Baler 324 is attached to towing implement 322 by a tow bar 336. Baler324 includes a machine position sensor 338 configured to sense arelative position of baler 324. For example, sensor 338 can beconfigured to sense a pitch, roll, and/or yawn of baler 324. Baler 324also includes a location system mounted thereon. Alternatively, or inaddition, towing implement 322 can include the location system and/ormachine position sensor 338.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of one example of a method 350 for operating anagricultural material preparation machine. For sake of illustration, butnot by limitation, method 350 will be described in the context ofoperating machine 108 to perform a raking operation.

At block 352, the raking operation is begun. During the rakingoperation, sensors on machine 108 sense windrow height, machineorientation, and/or machine position. Other characteristics of theoperation can be sensed as well. This is represented at block 354.

In one example, the windrow height can be sensed using mechanicalsensors 356, ultrasound sensors 358, optical sensors 360, microwavesensors 362, and/or other sensors 364. The machine orientation can besensed using one or more of tilt, roll, and yaw sensors 366. Othersensors for detecting machine orientation can be used as well. Themachine position can be sensed using a GPS receiver 368, a deadreckoning system 370, or other devices 372 as well.

Using the sensed data from block 354, the windrow height is correlatedto the location in the field from which the windrow height was sensed,at block 374. This windrow height gives an estimation of the materialvolume per windrow length unit at a particular location within thefield.

At block 376, a yield map can be generated based on the correlatedinformation from block 374. For example, the yield map can indicate aseries of windrow heights along the windrows in the field.

At block 378, a terrain slope map can be generated by correlating themachine orientation sensed at block 354 with the corresponding machineposition. The terrain slope map provides an indication of the slope ofthe terrain at a plurality of positions in the field. The slopeinformation can include, but is not limited to, an inclination angle aswell as a direction of the slope.

At block 380, the maps are output to a wide variety of different places,and can be used in a wide variety of different ways. For example, themaps can be output for local display at block 382 or for local storageat block 384. Further, the maps can be output for remote display atblock 386, remote analysis at block 388, and/or remote storage at block390. The maps can be output to other machines at 392. For example, themaps can be output to bale forming machine 110 to utilize the yield mapsand terrain slope map during the baling operation. The maps can also beoutput to third parties at block 394. The maps can be output to otherplaces as well. This is represented by block 396.

FIGS. 7A and 7B (collectively referred to as FIG. 7) are a flow diagramof one example of a method 400 for operating a bale forming machine. Forsake of illustration, but not by limitation, method 400 will bedescribed in the context of bale forming machine 110 illustrated in FIG.3.

At block 402, a target feed rate is determined. In one example, thetarget feed rate can be a maximum feed rate set for the baling equipmentand can be pre-defined (block 404) or user-defined (block 406), and/orcan be calculated based on settings 282. For instance, the target feedrate can be set based on a crop type setting (block 408) and/or userpreference settings (block 410).

At block 412, the position of the baler is determined using, forexample, GPS (block 414), a dead reckoning system (block 416), or othersystem (block 418).

At block 420, yield data is obtained that is indicative of a volume ofagricultural material in a path of the baler. This data can be storedlocally (e.g., data store 210) and/or accessed from a remote data store(e.g., data stores 208 and/or 214). In one example, the yield datacomprises a position-referenced windrow height obtained from a rakingoperation. This is represented by block 422.

At block 424, operation of the baler is controlled based on the targetfeed rate and the yield data obtained at block 420. This can includecontrol related to a speed of the baler (block 426), a pickup height ofthe baler (block 428), or other functionality (block 430). Beforediscussing this in further detail, it is noted that the target feed ratecan be adjusted at block 432. For example, based on the yield dataindicating the volume of agricultural material entering the baler andoperational characteristics of the baler (e.g., a load on the baleforming equipment, whether the baler became plugged at a given feedrate, etc.) the target feed rate can be increased or decreased forsubsequent operation of the baler.

Referring again to block 426, in one example the speed of the baler canbe automatically controlled based on the target feed rate and the yielddata. For example, if the yield data indicates that the expected yieldin the windrow ahead of the baler increases to a point where the actualfeed rate is likely to exceed the target feed rate, speed calculationcomponent 272 can calculate a new speed for the baler which is used by amachine control component 280 to automatically control propulsion system206.

Alternatively, or in addition, the target speed can be displayed to theoperator as a suggested speed modification. For instance, a visualdisplay on the towing implement can instruct the operator to increase ordecrease the speed of the tractor, and/or display the particular targetspeed, to discourage plugging of the baler.

With respect to block 428, the pickup height of the baler can beadjusted in addition to, or instead of, the speed of the baler. Forexample, at block 438 the pickup height of the baler can beautomatically controlled by control component 280. Alternatively, or inaddition, at block 440 a suggested pickup height can be displayed to theoperator upon which the operator can manually control the baler pickupheight, if desired. As mentioned above, the pickup height of the balerdefines the positioning of the baler input mechanisms relative to theground, and thus the amount of material that is obtained from thewindrow.

In one example, at block 442, the method determines whether the machine110 includes an accumulator and how many bales are contained in theaccumulator. If so, the method determines whether to deposit bales fromthe accumulator at block 444. This can include identifying terrain slopedata in a path of the machine at block 446 and/or determining anexpected completion of the current or next bale at block 448. Based onthis information, the machine can be controlled to automatically deposita bale from the accumulator and/or instruct the operator to do so. Byway of example, block 444 can determine that the accumulator iscurrently full and that there is a relatively long stretch of field thathas a significant slope. In this case, block 444 can suggest to theoperator to deposit one or more of the bales from the accumulator beforereaching the slope even though the current bale in the baler is notcompletely formed.

At block 450, the method determines whether the current bale in baleforming functionality 244 is complete. If not, the method returns toblock 412. If so, the method proceeds to block 452 in which it isdetermined whether the completed bale can be deposited at the currentlocation of the baler. In one example, this includes accessing data fromsensors 266 to determine a current tilt, yaw, and/or roll of the balerthat indicates the slope of the current terrain on which the balerresides. If this information indicates that the bale can be depositedwith little or no risk of the bale rolling down a slope, the methodproceeds to block 454 in which the bale is deposited on the ground. Forinstance, the slope of the current terrain and/or orientation of thebale axis is compared to a threshold.

At block 456, the method determines a different position, that is spacedapart from the current position, on which to deposit the bale. In oneexample, block 456 accesses terrain slope data for the terrain near thebaler and selects an optimal or near optimal location for depositing thebale. For example, the selected position can comprise a location thathas an inclination angle below a threshold and is the closest to thecurrent position of the baler. In one example, block 456 considers thepaths where the material is yet to be baled. This is represented byblock 460. For example, using information obtained during the rakingoperation, block 456 can determine that the baler is yet to pass over awindrow that is located on one side of the baler. As such, block 456selects a location on the field that has already been baled (i.e., sothe bale is not dropped on unbaled material).

At block 462, the method determines both the location and theorientation for the bale access relative to the slope. In one example,block 462 computes a latitude and longitude for positioning the bale aswell as the orientation of the bale axis. For instance, an acceptableposition of the bale axis can be based on the incline angle of theslope. That is, for a given slope (i.e., 20 degrees), the bale can bepositioned within a particular angular range (e.g., 15 degrees) of theslope direction. It is understood that as the inclination angle of theslope increases, the difference between the axis of the bale and thedirection of the slope should decrease to discourage the bale fromrolling.

In one example, block 462 utilizes the settings defined at block 402(e.g., settings 282). That is, block 462 can utilize a slope thresholdthat is based on one or more of the crop type and user preferences. Forexample, a bale formed of one crop type (e.g., corn stalks) may be lesslikely to roll down a hill than a bale formed of a different crop type(e.g., hay). As such, if the baler is baling corn stalks as opposed tohay, the slope threshold can be increased. Similarly, in one example auser preference setting can be indicative of how aggressive orconservative the user wants to be in selecting the location. Forinstance, if the field is located near people, livestock, equipment, orstructures, the user may wish to be more conservative in bale placementas a bale rolling down the slope has a greater chance of damage orinjury than a bale placed on a field that is not near any structures,livestock, equipment or people. In one example, these settings can beinput through user interface component 256 and stored in settings 282.

At block 464, the machine is controlled based on the determinedposition. In one example, in addition to calculating the position fordepositing the bale, component 278 can calculate a path for navigatingthe machine to that location. At block 466, control component 280 canautomatically control drive mechanism 204 to navigate machine 110 tothat location. In another example, semi-automatic navigation can beperformed at block 468. For example, the steering mechanism can beautomatically controlled but the propulsion system is controlled by theuser.

In another example, at block 470, the user manually navigates machine110 to the determined position with the aid of instructions provided bycontrol system 268. For instance, instructions can be visually and/oraudibly rendered to the user that advise the user which direction toturn the steering wheel and which direction to move the machine to reachthe desired position. Alternatively, or in addition, at block 472feedback on the current and target orientation of the baler can beprovided to the operator. For instance, a visual display can show thecurrent position of the baler along with the target position of thebaler along with the target position of the baler to help the operatorin moving machine 110.

In one example of block 464, as machine 110 is traversed across thefield to the different location to deposit the bale, control system 268determines the position and relative orientation of machine 110 using acombination of location system 260 and sensors 266. For instance,latitude and longitude coordinates from location system 260 can be usedto determine a point on the terrain slope map, and tilt and roll datafrom sensors 266 can indicate which direction the baler is facing on theslope (e.g., is the bale axis perpendicular or parallel to the slope atthe given latitude and longitude). Then, using this information, controlsystem 268 can compute and output a further set of control instructionsfor navigating the baler to the desired location.

At block 474, if there is additional material to bale the method returnsto block 412.

The present discussion has mentioned processors and servers. In oneembodiment, the processors and servers include computer processors withassociated memory and timing circuitry, not separately shown. They arefunctional parts of the systems or devices to which they belong and areactivated by, and facilitate the functionality of the other componentsor items in those systems.

Also, a number of user interface displays have been discussed. They cantake a wide variety of different forms and can have a wide variety ofdifferent user actuatable input mechanisms disposed thereon. Forinstance, the user actuatable input mechanisms can be text boxes, checkboxes, icons, links, drop-down menus, search boxes, etc. They can alsobe actuated in a wide variety of different ways. For instance, they canbe actuated using a point and click device (such as a track ball ormouse). They can be actuated using hardware buttons, switches, ajoystick or keyboard, thumb switches or thumb pads, etc. They can alsobe actuated using a virtual keyboard or other virtual actuators. Inaddition, where the screen on which they are displayed is a touchsensitive screen, they can be actuated using touch gestures. Also, wherethe device that displays them has speech recognition components, theycan be actuated using speech commands.

A number of data stores have also been discussed. It will be noted theycan each be broken into multiple data stores. All can be local to thesystems accessing them, all can be remote, or some can be local whileothers are remote. All of these configurations are contemplated herein.

Also, the figures show a number of blocks with functionality ascribed toeach block. It will be noted that fewer blocks can be used so thefunctionality is performed by fewer components. Also, more blocks can beused with the functionality distributed among more components.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of environment 200, shown in FIG. 3, exceptthat it communicates with elements in a remote server architecture 500.In an example embodiment, remote server architecture 500 can providecomputation, software, data access, and storage services that do notrequire end-user knowledge of the physical location or configuration ofthe system that delivers the services. In various embodiments, remoteservers can deliver the services over a wide area network, such as theinternet, using appropriate protocols. For instance, remote servers candeliver applications over a wide area network and they can be accessedthrough a web browser or any other computing component. Software orcomponents shown in FIG. 3 as well as the corresponding data, can bestored on servers at a remote location. The computing resources in aremote server environment can be consolidated at a remote data centerlocation or they can be dispersed. Remote server infrastructures candeliver services through shared data centers, even though they appear asa single point of access for the user. Thus, the components andfunctions described herein can be provided from a remote server at aremote location using a remote server architecture. Alternatively, theycan be provided from a conventional server, or they can be installed onclient devices directly, or in other ways.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, some items are similar to those shownin FIG. 3 and they are similarly numbered. FIG. 8 specifically showsthat one or more items in environment 200 can be located at a remoteserver location 502. For example, map generator 230, data store (e.g.,remote storage) 214, and/or one or more of components 270, 272, 274,276, and 278 can be located at a remote server location 502. Therefore,machines 108 and/or 110 access those systems through remote serverlocation 502.

FIG. 8 also depicts another embodiment of a remote server architecture.FIG. 8 shows that it is also contemplated that some elements of FIG. 3are disposed at remote server location 502 while others are not. By wayof example, data store 214, map generator 230, and/or one or more ofcomponents 270, 272, 274, 276, and 278 can be disposed at a locationseparate from location 502, and accessed through the remote server atlocation 502. Regardless of where they are located, they can be accesseddirectly by machines 108 and/or 110, through a network (either a widearea network or a local area network), they can be hosted at a remotesite by a service, or they can be provided as a service, or accessed bya connection service that resides in a remote location. Also, the datacan be stored in substantially any location and intermittently accessedby, or forwarded to, interested parties. For instance, physical carrierscan be used instead of, or in addition to, electromagnetic wavecarriers. In such an embodiment, where cell coverage is poor ornonexistent, another mobile machine (such as a fuel truck) can have anautomated information collection system. As the raking machine or balercomes close to the fuel truck for fueling, the system automaticallycollects the information using any type of ad-hoc wireless connection.The collected information can then be forwarded to the main network asthe fuel truck reaches a location where there is cellular coverage (orother wireless coverage). For instance, the fuel truck may enter acovered location when traveling to fuel other machines or when at a mainfuel storage location. All of these architectures are contemplatedherein. Further, the information can be stored on the raking machine orbaler until it enters a covered location. The raking machine or baler,itself, can then send the information to the main network.

It will also be noted that the elements of FIG. 3, or portions of them,can be disposed on a wide variety of different devices. Some of thosedevices include servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, tabletcomputers, or other mobile devices, such as palm top computers, cellphones, smart phones, multimedia players, personal digital assistants,etc.

FIG. 9 is a simplified block diagram of one illustrative embodiment of ahandheld or mobile computing device that can be used as a user or clienthand held device 16, in which the present system (or parts of it) can bedeployed. For instance, a mobile device can be deployed in the operatorcompartment of machine 108 and/or 110 for use in generating, processing,or displaying the stool width and position data. FIGS. 10-13 areexamples of handheld or mobile devices.

FIG. 9 provides a general block diagram of the components of a clientdevice 16 that can run some components shown in FIG. 3, that interactswith them, or both. In the device 16, a communications link 13 isprovided that allows the handheld device to communicate with othercomputing devices and under some embodiments provides a channel forreceiving information automatically, such as by scanning. Examples ofcommunications link 13 include allowing communication though one or morecommunication protocols, such as wireless services used to providecellular access to a network, as well as protocols that provide localwireless connections to networks.

Under other embodiments, applications can be received on a removableSecure Digital (SD) card that is connected to an interface 15. Interface15 and communications link 13 communicate with a processor 17 (which canalso embody processors 220 and/or 252 from FIG. 3) along a bus 19 thatis also connected to memory 21 and input/output (I/O) components 23, aswell as clock 25 and location system 27.

I/O components 23, in one embodiment, are provided to facilitate inputand output operations. I/O components 23 for various embodiments of thedevice 16 can include input components such as buttons, touch sensors,optical sensors, microphones, touch screens, proximity sensors,accelerometers, orientation sensors and output components such as adisplay device, a speaker, and or a printer port. Other I/O components23 can be used as well.

Clock 25 illustratively comprises a real time clock component thatoutputs a time and date. It can also, illustratively, provide timingfunctions for processor 17.

Location system 27 illustratively includes a component that outputs acurrent geographical location of device 16. This can include, forinstance, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a LORAN system, adead reckoning system, a cellular triangulation system, or otherpositioning system. It can also include, for example, mapping softwareor navigation software that generates desired maps, navigation routesand other geographic functions.

Memory 21 stores operating system 29, network settings 31, applications33, application configuration settings 35, data store 37, communicationdrivers 39, and communication configuration settings 41. Memory 21 caninclude all types of tangible volatile and non-volatilecomputer-readable memory devices. It can also include computer storagemedia (described below). Memory 21 stores computer readable instructionsthat, when executed by processor 17, cause the processor to performcomputer-implemented steps or functions according to the instructions.Processor 17 can be activated by other components to facilitate theirfunctionality as well.

FIG. 10 shows one embodiment in which device 16 is a tablet computer600. In FIG. 10, computer 600 is shown with user interface displayscreen 602. Screen 602 can be a touch screen or a pen-enabled interfacethat receives inputs from a pen or stylus. It can also use an on-screenvirtual keyboard. Of course, it might also be attached to a keyboard orother user input device through a suitable attachment mechanism, such asa wireless link or USB port, for instance. Computer 600 can alsoillustratively receive voice inputs as well.

FIG. 11 provides an additional example of device 16 that can be used,although others can be used as well. In FIG. 11, a feature phone, smartphone or mobile phone 45 is provided as the device 16. Phone 45 includesa set of keypads 47 for dialing phone numbers, a display 49 capable ofdisplaying images including application images, icons, web pages,photographs, and video, and control buttons 51 for selecting items shownon the display. The phone includes an antenna 53 for receiving cellularphone signals. In some embodiments, phone 45 also includes a SecureDigital (SD) card slot 55 that accepts a SD card 57.

FIG. 12 is similar to FIG. 11 except that the phone is a smart phone 71.Smart phone 71 has a touch sensitive display 73 that displays icons ortiles or other user input mechanisms 75. Mechanisms 75 can be used by auser to run applications, make calls, perform data transfer operations,etc. In general, smart phone 71 is built on a mobile operating systemand offers more advanced computing capability and connectivity than afeature phone.

Note that other forms of the devices 16 are possible.

FIG. 13 is one embodiment of a computing environment in which elementsof FIG. 3, or parts of it, (for example) can be deployed. With referenceto FIG. 13, an exemplary system for implementing some embodimentsincludes a general-purpose computing device in the form of a computer810. Components of computer 810 may include, but are not limited to, aprocessing unit 820 (which can comprise processor 220 and/or 252), asystem memory 830, and a system bus 821 that couples various systemcomponents including the system memory to the processing unit 820. Thesystem bus 821 may be any of several types of bus structures including amemory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. Memory and programs describedwith respect to FIG. 3 can be deployed in corresponding portions of FIG.13.

Computer 810 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby computer 810 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media is different from, anddoes not include, a modulated data signal or carrier wave. It includeshardware storage media including both volatile and nonvolatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computerstorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium which can be used to store the desired information and which canbe accessed by computer 810. Communication media may embody computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data ina transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. Theterm “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of itscharacteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode informationin the signal.

The system memory 830 includes computer storage media in the form ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 831and random access memory (RAM) 832. A basic input/output system 833(BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer informationbetween elements within computer 810, such as during start-up, istypically stored in ROM 831. RAM 832 typically contains data and/orprogram modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presentlybeing operated on by processing unit 820. By way of example, and notlimitation, FIG. 10 illustrates operating system 834, applicationprograms 835, other program modules 836, and program data 837.

The computer 810 may also include other removable/non-removablevolatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 13 illustrates a hard disk drive 841 that reads from or writes tonon-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 851,nonvolatile magnetic disk 852, an optical disk drive 855, andnonvolatile optical disk 856. The hard disk drive 841 is typicallyconnected to the system bus 821 through a non-removable memory interfacesuch as interface 840, and magnetic disk drive 851 and optical diskdrive 855 are typically connected to the system bus 821 by a removablememory interface, such as interface 850.

Alternatively, or in addition, the functionality described herein can beperformed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components.For example, and without limitation, illustrative types of hardwarelogic components that can be used include Field-programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs), Program-specific Integrated Circuits (e.g., ASICs),Program-specific Standard Products (e.g., ASSPs), System-on-a-chipsystems (SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), etc.

The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed aboveand illustrated in FIG. 13, provide storage of computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputer 810. In FIG. 13, for example, hard disk drive 841 isillustrated as storing operating system 844, application programs 845,other program modules 846, and program data 847. Note that thesecomponents can either be the same as or different from operating system834, application programs 835, other program modules 836, and programdata 837.

A user may enter commands and information into the computer 810 throughinput devices such as a keyboard 862, a microphone 863, and a pointingdevice 861, such as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices(not shown) may include a joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner,or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to theprocessing unit 820 through a user input interface 860 that is coupledto the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and busstructures. A visual display 891 or other type of display device is alsoconnected to the system bus 821 via an interface, such as a videointerface 890. In addition to the monitor, computers may also includeother peripheral output devices such as speakers 897 and printer 896,which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 895.

The computer 810 is operated in a networked environment using logicalconnections (such as a local area network—LAN, or wide area network WAN)to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 880.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 810 is connectedto the LAN 871 through a network interface or adapter 870. When used ina WAN networking environment, the computer 810 typically includes amodem 872 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN873, such as the Internet. In a networked environment, program modulesmay be stored in a remote memory storage device. FIG. 13 illustrates,for example, that remote application programs 885 can reside on remotecomputer 880.

It should also be noted that the different embodiments described hereincan be combined in different ways. That is, parts of one or moreembodiments can be combined with parts of one or more other embodiments.All of this is contemplated herein.

Example 1 is an agricultural material baling system comprising a baleforming component configured to form a bale of agricultural materialfrom a terrain, a control system configured to determine that the baleis to be released from the baling system onto the terrain, determinethat a current location of the baling system has a slope above athreshold, determine a different location, that is spaced apart from thecurrent location, for releasing the bale onto the terrain, and providean output indicative of the different location.

Example 2 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the agricultural material baling systemcomprises a towing implement and a towed baler implement that includesthe bale forming component.

Example 3 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the towing implement comprises a tractor andthe bale forming component is configured to form substantiallycylindrical bales.

Example 4 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the threshold is adjustable based on one ormore input parameters.

Example 5 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the control system is configured to providethe output to a drive mechanism of the baling system to automaticallycontrol movement of the baling system across the terrain.

Example 6 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples wherein the control system is configured to providethe output to a user interface component, the user interface componentbeing configured to render an indication of the different location to auser of the baling system.

Example 7 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the user interface component is configured torender at least one of audible indications to the user that indicatesuggested user drive inputs for navigating the baling system to thedifferent location, or visual indications to the user that indicatesuggested user drive inputs for navigating the baling system to thedifferent location.

Example 8 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of aninclination angle of the slope and a difference between a direction ofthe slope and an axis of the bale after it is ejected from the balingsystem onto the terrain.

Example 9 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the control system is configured to obtainterrain slope information indicative of a slope of the terrain at aplurality of locations, and to determine the different position based ona slope of the different position, identified from the terrain slopeinformation, relative to the threshold.

Example 10 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the terrain slope information is obtainedfrom a raking operation that rakes the agricultural material intowindrows.

Example 11 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the baling system comprises a baleaccumulator, and the control system is configured to calculate thedifferent position based on the terrain slope information and anexpected completion time of a next bale in the bale forming component.

Example 12 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the control system is configured to receiveyield data indicative of a volume of agricultural material in a path ofthe baler and to control the baling system by at least one of renderingan indication to the operator indicative of a speed of the baling systemor a pickup height of the bale forming component, and automaticallyadjusting a speed of the baling system or changing a pickup height ofthe bale forming component.

Example 13 is an agricultural material baling system comprising a baleforming component configured to form a bale of agricultural material,and a control system configured to obtain yield data from a rakingoperation that rakes the agricultural material into a windrow, the yielddata being indicative of a volume of agricultural material in a path ofthe bale forming component, and control the baling system based on theyield data.

Example 14 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the yield data comprises aposition-referenced window map that indicates windrow volume at aplurality of locations.

Example 15 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the control system is configured to controlthe baling system by at least one of: rendering an indication to theoperator indicative of a suggested speed of the baling system, renderinga suggested pickup height of the bale forming component, automaticallyadjusting a speed of the baling system, or automatically adjusting apickup height of the bale forming component.

Example 16 is an agricultural material raking machine comprising araking mechanism configured to rake agricultural material on a terraininto at least one windrow, and a sensor configured to generate a signalindicative of a volume of the agricultural material in the windrow.

Example 17 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the raking mechanism defines a raking channeland the sensor is configured to sense a height of the agriculturalmaterial within the raking channel.

Example 18 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein the raking mechanism comprises a set of rakewheels that are spaced to form the raking channel.

Example 19 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, further comprising a location system configured todetermine a location of the raking machine, wherein position-referencedyield data is generated based on the indicative of the volume of theagricultural material in the windrow and the location of the rakingmachine.

Example 20 is the agricultural material baling system of any or allprevious examples, wherein a windrow map is generated based onposition-referenced yield data obtained at a set of locations.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An agricultural material baling systemcomprising: a bale forming component configured to form a bale ofagricultural material from a terrain; and a control system configuredto: determine that the bale is to be released from the baling systemonto the terrain; determine that a current location of the baling systemon the terrain has a slope above a threshold; access position-referencedterrain slope data that indicates a slope of the terrain at a pluralityof locations along the terrain; based on the position-referenced terrainslope data and the threshold, determine a different location, that isspaced apart from the current location, for releasing the bale onto theterrain; and provide an output indicative of the different location. 2.The agricultural material baling system of claim 1, wherein the controlsystem is configured to determine a route for the baling system from thecurrent location to the different location, and wherein the output isindicative of the determined route.
 3. The agricultural material balingsystem of claim 1, wherein the agricultural material baling systemcomprises a towing implement and a towed baler implement that includesthe bale forming component configured to form substantially cylindricalbales.
 4. The agricultural material baling system of claim 2, whereinthe control system is configured to provide the output to a drivemechanism of the baling system to automatically control the balingsystem to traverse the route to the different location.
 5. Theagricultural material baling system of claim 2, wherein the controlsystem is configured to provide the output to a user interfacecomponent, the user interface component being configured to render anindication of the route to a user of the baling system.
 6. Theagricultural material baling system of claim 5, wherein the userinterface component is configured to render at least one of: audibleindications to the user that indicate suggested user drive inputs fornavigating the baling system along the route to the different location;or visual indications to the user that indicate suggested user driveinputs for navigating the baling system along the route to the differentlocation.
 7. The agricultural material baling system of claim 1, whereinthe threshold is adjustable based on one or more input parameters. 8.The agricultural material baling system of claim 1, wherein thethreshold is based on at least one of: an inclination angle of the slopeof the terrain at the current location; or a difference between adirection of the slope of the terrain at the current location and anaxis of the bale relative to the slope of the terrain at the currentlocation after it is ejected from the baling system onto the terrain. 9.The agricultural material baling system of claim 1, wherein the terrainslope information comprises information obtained from a raking operationthat rakes the agricultural material into windrows.
 10. The agriculturalmaterial baling system of claim 1, wherein the control system isconfigured to receive yield data indicative of a volume of agriculturalmaterial in a path of the baler and to control the baling system by atleast one of: rendering an indication to an operator indicative of aspeed of the baling system or a pickup height of the bale formingcomponent; and automatically adjusting a speed of the baling system orchanging a pickup height of the bale forming component.
 11. Theagricultural material baling system of claim 1, wherein the controlsystem is configured to determine the different location based on theposition-referenced terrain slope information and an indication oflocations on the terrain where the agricultural material has alreadybeen baled.
 12. The agricultural material baling system of claim 1,wherein the control system is configured to select the differentlocation from the plurality of locations based on proximity informationthat indicates a proximity of the baling system to the plurality oflocations.
 13. The agricultural material baling system of claim 1,wherein the control system is configured to determine a latitude and alongitude of the different location and an orientation of a baling axisof the baling system when the baling system releases the bale at thedifferent location.
 14. The agricultural material baling system of claim1, wherein the control system is configured to determine that thecurrent location of the baling system on the terrain has the slope abovethe threshold based on a combination of: an inclination angle of theslope at the current location; and a difference between a bale axis ofthe bale system and a direction of the slope at the current location.15. An agricultural material baling system comprising: a bale formingcomponent configured to form a bale of agricultural material from aterrain; a bale accumulator; and a control system configured to: obtainterrain slope information indicative of a slope of the terrain at aplurality of locations, determine that the bale is to be released fromthe baling system onto the terrain, determine that a current location ofthe baling system has a slope above a threshold calculate a differentlocation, that is spaced apart from the current location, for releasingthe bale onto the terrain, wherein the different location is determinedbased on: a slope of the different location, identified from the terrainslope information, relative to the threshold, and an expected completiontime of a next bale in the bale forming component; provide an outputindicative of the different location.
 16. The agricultural materialbaling system of claim 15, wherein bale accumulator is configured tohold one or more bales released from the bale forming component, and thecontrol system is configured to determine the different location basedon a number of bales currently within the bale accumulator.
 17. Theagricultural material baling system of claim 16, wherein the controlsystem is configured to: generate a bail release output signalindicative of release of a bale from the bale accumulator, wherein thebail release output signal is based on: the expected completion time;and the slope of the terrain along a path between the current locationand a next location associated with completion of the next bale at theexpected completion time.
 18. A computer-implemented method ofdetermining a bale releasing location, comprising: receiving anindication that a bale within a bale forming component of anagricultural baling system is ready to be released onto a terrain;determining that a current location of the baling system on the terrainhas a slope above a threshold; accessing position-referenced terrainslope data that indicates a slope of the terrain at a plurality oflocations along the terrain; based on the position-referenced terrainslope data and the threshold, determining a different location, that isspaced apart from the current location, for releasing the bale onto theterrain; determining a route for the baling system from the currentlocation to the different location; and generating an output indicativeof the determined route.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein determiningthe different location comprises: determining a coordinate location ofthe different location; and determining a desired bale orientation forreleasing the bale at the coordinate location.
 20. The method of claim19, wherein generating the output indicative of the different locationcomprises: rendering visual indications on a user interface deviceindicative of suggested drive inputs for navigating the agriculturalbaling system to the coordinate position with the desired baleorientation.